The increasing rate of breast cancer has changed so many things about how an average lady should dress, eat or live. It is estimated that every two minutes someone is diagnosed with breast cancer and every thirteen minutes some dies as a result of breast cancer. This is an alarming record. It has also been shown that breast cancer tends to be higher in cultures where bras are worn frequently compared to where bras are absent.

In a report titled 'Dress to Kill, the link between breast cancer and bras', the authors examined the habits of 4700 American women, nearly half of them had breast cancer before compiling the report. It was discovered that wearing a bra for 12 hours daily increased the risk for breast cancer, cystic breasts, breast pain, breast tenderness and other breast related conditions. Ladies who had bras on for 18-24 hours daily have over a 100% increased incidence of breast cancer compared to those who don't wear bras at all. It is quite funny, but what this suggests is that by wearing a bra you are 3-4 times more likely to get breast cancer than by smoking cigarettes.

You may be wondering 'why is this so?' but the facts available are that bras create constant pressure on the breast, which compresses and constricts and hinders the lymphatic movement to the chest area. If you are a woman who wears a bra and you see red marks and lines after taking your bra off, you are at a greater risk for breast cancer.

The role of lymph is to flush out toxins and debris from tissues. If this flow is impaired, like when wearing a bra, tissues get toxic. We also impair toxin release by using underarm deodorants, which plug up and block our pores.

In another similar study done in the UK with a hundred women who suffer from fibrocystic breast disease, it was discovered that going bra free for three months had an astounding effect on the cure of these womens disease. This study showed how effective this single treatment of going bra free was in overcoming a particular breast condition.

The bra has been a fundamental part of female clothing for so long, no matter what it is associated with it, I understand that it isn't going to be an easy task to suddenly drop a life long habit, not when it has to do with such crucial part of the body. This is understandable. You cannot just go bra free overnight but if you must wear a bra, try it along the lines below which will most likely reduce the risk associated with the wearing of a bra:

- Don't wear tight bras. Make sure the bra has a loose fit and always remove it when it is not necessary to wear it.

- Choose a bra with no under wires. These wires block the energy meridians from moving freely through their natural cycles.

- Around your menstrual periods, use a larger size bra as increased oestrogen levels in the blood during this period cause tissues to retain fluids making the breasts larger and the bra tighter.

- Stop the use of deodorants/antiperspirants, if you can. Wash your armpits often with soap and water instead.

- Bathe daily. The body releases 30% of all the toxins it produces through the skin.

- Use a shower filter that filters out chlorine. Chlorine also causes several forms of cancer. As you shower, your skin and lungs are absorbing huge amounts of chlorine.

- Occasionally incorporate Poke Root tincture into your diet to help the lymph flow more easily (especially if you have little white dots around the outside of your irises. This is known as a Lymphatic Rosary and is a sign of a slow or sluggish lymphatic system.)

- Sleep naked or in a stretchy T-shirt. Women who wear cotton or nylon non-stretchable materials while they sleep and who roll over often, can cut circulation off as these materials resist stretching.

- And most importantly wear bras only when it is completely necessary, this will reduce the number of hours you wear bra a day to the barest minimum.